Super-Easy Homemade Baked Egg Rolls

I love baked egg rolls because there’s no chance that they’ll split open in deep-frying.  And - what’s that?  Oh, yeah… also because they’re healthier. 

The ones in this picture don’t look too appetizing because it was erev Shabbos and I was rushing around and didn’t have time to plate them nicely.  But trust me, they were delicious.  Didn’t stand a chance against us and our hungry guests last night.

And they really are super-easy and quick to put together, even erev Shabbos.  I’ve seen egg rolls in kosher take-out places for $1-2 each… and the fillings in those places are sometimes kind of iffy, if not utterly gross.  These are much less expensive, plus, they’re fresher and more delicious.  And healthier!

There are no exact quantities here, because everything depends on what you like in your spring rolls.  I’ve made these before with shredded chicken; you could use ground meat if you like that.  No problem!  You don’t need much of any given filling ingredient – a little goes a long way.

You’ll want to have handy:

• canola or other vegetable oil
• 1 package egg roll wrappers
• 1 bag matchstick carrots (or grate your own in the food processor)
• 1 bag bean sprouts (a couple of handfuls of fresh sprouts)
• 2 green onions, sliced (green & white parts)
• small quantities of other filling ingredients, if desired
• soy sauce
• 2 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup of water until it looks like milk (= cornstarch “slurry”)
• toasted (not raw) sesame oil (optional)
• beaten egg and brush, for “gluing” wrappers shut

Here’s the filling:

1. Heat oil in wok
2. Stir-fry carrots
3. When mostly cooked, add green onions.  Stir and fry.
4. Add other ingredients, if using. Stir and fry.
5. Add bean sprouts.  Stir until slightly wilted.
6. Add a few tablespoons of soy sauce, until all ingredients are nicely coated.
7. Add cornstarch slurry; stir until mixture thickens.  Remove from heat.

Here’s how you wrap them up:

1. Preheat oven to 425° or 450° (doesn’t make a huge difference, so experiment, or just use whichever is most convenient if you’re baking other things)
2. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper; spray generously with oil.
3. Open package of egg roll wrappers (don’t let wrappers sit around open – they dry out fast). 
4. Lay one wrapper in front of you diagonally.  Brush two upper edges with beaten egg.
5. Add a small quantity of filling (heaping teaspoon?) to the lower quadrant.
6. Roll bottom up a little over filling.
7. Bring in the left and right corners and adhere to rolled-up bottom.
8. Keep rolling, bringing the top over the roll to form a seam.
9. Seal edges well – there are sometimes gaps that need “pinching.”
10. Lay seam-side-down on prepared parchment paper.
11. When all the rolls are finished (ie all filling is used up or all wrappers are used up or both!), spray tops generously with oil.
12. Bake for 10 minutes, or until top sides are golden-brown.
13. Flip rolls over and spray NEW upper side generously with oil.
14. Bake another 5-15 minutes, until completely golden-brown.

These are BEST eaten immediately.  Second-best, keep them warm, because they aren’t as fantastic when eaten cold.  For Shabbos, they can be kept uncovered in a low oven.

NEVER cover spring rolls or egg rolls – they will steam and turn mushy!!!